Roy Harper
Roy Harper, or Speedy, is a vigilante in Star City. Origins Roy Harper was born on December 13, 1994. He was abused by his father and his mother until he was 10 years old. Kept secret to himself, he grabbed a shotgun and killed them both. Roy couldn't bear being abused any longer. After going to court, he was proved innocent. He ran away after this, into the wilderness. He found a Native American tribe, and stayed there. There, he learned how to use a bow and arrow. His adoptive father was Brave Bow, one of the best archers in the world. When Roy was 14, Brave Bow passed away. He decided he could live by himself. He went back to his hometown of Star City to live on the streets. He stayed on the streets for a year. Meeting Arrow When Roy was 15 years old, he idolized the Green Arrow. He respected what he did for Star City. Roy wanted to do this as well, but mainly it was a kamikaze act. He had no appreciation for life, and was on the verge of suicide. He wore a red hood over his head, and his weapons included a wooden bow and arrow. He started fighting crime families, using what the Native Americans taught him. Eventually, Green Arrow caught Roy trying to fight crime. Unfortunately, Roy was shot in the shoulder. Green Arrow made a risky choice, and brought Roy to the Arrow Cave. There, Roy healed. He met Black Canary, who played as a mother figure and a sister figure. Green Arrow spoke with Canary, and decided to train Roy as his sidekick. Training Roy's training started when he had to hit the water. He did this for several days. When Roy was able to catch an arrow, then he would continue his training. He eventually did, and moved onto the second part of training. He had to fight and beat Black Canary in hand-to-hand combat. It took days to beat Canary. After training for over 24 hours, he was able to defeat Canary quickly. Canary knew Roy was the right one for the job. Arrow disapproved, however. His previous sidekick, Mia Dearden, wasn't ready for the fight against crime, and something bad happened. Canary convinced Arrow to accept Roy as a member of Team Arrow. Due to his fast reflexes and fighting technique, he was given the name of Speedy. Merlyn Eventually, after fighting crime numerous times, a challenge appeared. A hooded archer killed someone. Arrow and Speedy tracked him down to a rooftop. Unfortunately, the Dark Archer was experienced. He stabbed Roy in the ankle with a fire arrow, and beat him up with it. Then, he dropped Roy off a building. Arrow was also beat as well, but he carried Roy's unconscious body back to the Arrow Cave. Arrow was infuriated, and yelled at Canary for not being there. Canary left the cave, and Arrow went to find Merlyn. Speedy eventually awakened, and heard Canary and Oliver speaking. Oliver had gotten stabbed by Merlyn. Speedy got up, and left to find Merlyn. Canary saw this, and quickly tried to treat Arrow. Speedy found Merlyn easily, and started beating on him. Canary stopped Roy's revenge, saying it isn't the right thing to do. Arrow confronted Speedy about this, but surprisingly forgave him. Roy was ashamed of his actions, but he knew in his heart...that Merlyn deserved it. His "Sweet 16" On December 13, Roy turned 16. He got a new bow and arrow, as well as a new mask. Unfortunately, Roy went to a bar and got drunk. An undercover police officer arrested Roy for underage drinking. He was put in jail, and Oliver picked him up. Black Canary was disappointed in Roy, but Oliver actually didn't care. Oliver sent Roy to patrol Star City. Roy decided to track down a 15 year old assassin by the name of Cheshire, in order to get the cops out of his mind. He found Cheshire, but she put up a fight. She used a poison only found in Lian Yu on Roy. It was coated on her blade, and she stabbed his shoulder. Cheshire escaped after this encounter. Roy returned to the Arrow Cave, and Oliver knew how to treat it. Roy still questioned who Cheshire was, but he knew she was already out of the city. Roy had his birthday cake, and he made a wish. A wish that was kept secret.